Bad at blogging

So, if you've been reading my blog for a while, you've probably noticed that I'm horrible at updating it. I'm going to try and be better. So, I'm going to start a challenge! More to come on that in a future post.

So, since my last blog entries, a lot has happened. Too much to even try and recap. We're now on our 3rd cycle of actively TTC, and I'm really excited about that. We're so glad we didn't wait until January.

I'm still jobless, and I think I'm going to plan on staying this way for a while. The job market is terrible right now, and it's not necessary for me to work for our household to stay comfortably afloat. And Tyler is worried that I'll get too stressed out from working full time {and I know he's totally right}. So, I'm currently a stay at home wife. :-)

Other than that, not much has changed, other than Tyler's commute - it is now about half the length it was due to his office changing locations. We are counting this as a major blessing, since it saves him a lot of stress and saves us a lot of gas money. Even though Tyler's car gets excellent mileage (usually 40mpg each tank), he was going through a tank a week, and that really adds up!

Now, readers, what would you like me to blog about? I'm up for anything - ask me a question, ask for a recipe, challenge me to do something. I'll blog about it! Watch for another post tomorrow (That's December 16, by the way. I'm posting this really late!)

Kitchen.After

I think it turned out really well! Now I need to move on to the bathroom, which shouldn't take me too long, since I already weeded everything out recently. (and apparently, I really need to go grocery shopping, yikes!)

Cleaning Challenge Check-in

So, today, I did a lot of cleaning in the kitchen! I didn't quite finish, but I took out a huge chunk of work, so I'm pretty proud. Here's the long list, with things I finished in BOLD.

Day 1 - Conquering the Kitchen

Make sure daily is done:
- Clear off all counter tops
- Load dishwasher
- Handwash any dishes needed
- Wipe down sink
- Wipe down stovetop
- Wipe down all the counters
- Swiffer the floor

Pantry
- Take everything out of the pantry.
- Wipe down shelves.
- Toss old items and donate unused good items.
- Repackage all messy items into nice containers.
- Place all items back into the pantry in an organized fashion.

Fridge
- Take everything out of the fridge and freezer (placing items in a cooler with all the remaining ice.
- Scrub down the inside and outside of the fridge, shelves, doors, ice maker and freezer.
- Replace water filter if you have one.
- Clean fridge condenser coil.
- Toss old or useless food.
- Place everything back into fridge in an organized fashion.

Cabinets
- Take ALLL your items out of all your cabinets and drawers. Yes... ALL!
- Wipe down the inside of all cabinets and drawers.
- Wipe down the inside of all containers such as utensil holders.
- Store items not used in over 6 months, or summer seasonal items.
- Thinking logically (ie - potholders next to stove, towels next to sink), try to put everything back in a more useful and purposeful place, and in an organized fashion.
- Scrub down the cupboard exteriors, from top of the kitchen to bottom.

All Those Appliances:
-Replace water filters in sink, coffeemaker etc.
-Descale coffee maker (run through white vinegar and then 2-3 more cycles of just water)
-Polish all appliances
-Clean out microwave and vent
-Self clean or scrub out stove
-Clean drain (baking soda, vinegar, cover, sit, then add boiling water to wash it down)

Make it Shine:
-Shine sink
-Dust from top of kitchen to bottom
-Clean that fan or light fixture
-Wash the drain stopper
-Clean and disinfect inside of trash can
-Vacuum and scrub/mop floor

Kitchen.Before

Here are some pictures of my cabinets and fridge before the fall cleaning challenge.

Sorry the fridge one is sideways, I uploaded it directly from my camera.

Fall Cleaning

So, I've finished up my temp work for now. I'm technically going to be "on call" in case they need someone for any big jobs that come up. Which is fine with me!

I also found out about an amazing job opportunity at our church yesterday, so I'm in the process of applying for that position. It is the volunteer coordinator for our church, which is a part time position that sounds perfect for me. I'm praying about it, and would appreciate the same from any of my readers out there!

Speaking of which, I'd like to do a reader roll-call! So, if you read this, post a message and let me know! =)

Finally, I come to the point of this post. I have decided to begin participating in the Hyper Homemaker's Fall Cleaning Challenge. Although the challenge started two days ago, I am beginning today, instead, which means I'll be tackling my kitchen! Here is the list of things I need to accomplish:

Kitchen:
-Empty and scrub down the inside of the fridge
-Empty and clean inside of the utensil drawers (I'll also be scrubbing my utensil drawer organizer)
-Scrub down the cupboard exteriors
-Replace water filter in the water pitcher
-Clean drain (baking soda, vinegar, cover, sit, then add boiling water to wash it down)
-Shine sink
-Polish appliances and descale coffeemaker
-Clean out pantry and reorganize
-dust the top of the cabinets and refrigerator
-run a cleaning cycle in the dishwasher
-dust interior of cabinets and line with shelf paper
-mop the floor

Yummy Recipe

This is a recipe that my mom made while I was growing up. It's super easy, and I think it is so good! Plus, it is a one-dish wonder, since it has protein, veggies, carbs, and cheese! If you try it out, let me know what you think! :-)

Easy Shepherd's Pie

1 lb. ground beef (I'm sure you could use ground turkey, too)
1 can tomato soup (I use the low-sodium kind)
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can cut green beans, drained (you can also use French style, if you want)
1 packet instant mashed potatoes, prepared (you can use "real" potatoes, too, but this is easy shepherd's pie, after all!)
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

1. preheat oven to 400*
2. brown ground beef (or turkey) in a large skillet, drain.
3. add tomato soup to ground beef, combine well
4. add both cans of vegetables, and mix well**
5. Pour beef/veggie mixture into a 9X13 baking dish. Spoon mashed potatoes over mixture, starting in the center. (Your mashed potatoes probably won't cover the whole thing, so just try to make a smaller rectangle of potatoes over the ground beef mixture). Cover the mashed potatoes with the cheese, and bake (uncovered) at 400* for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

**I usually make the beef/veggie mixture and then leave it on "low" while I make the mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!!

I'm such a slacker!

But I vow to do better from now on.

So, since my last post, I have interviewed and been denied for that job. I was really upset about it, even though they said if they could have hired two people, I would have been the next choice. Apparently God had other plans in mind.

So after that job interview, I kept looking online for jobs, but honestly, the market is horrible right now, and nothing was coming up. So I took Tyler's cousin up on an offer to temp at the company she works for. I've been there a little over three weeks now, and while it's nice to be out of the house and making money, I'm not sure how long I can stay there. I'm just doing a ton of data entry right now, which is fine, but it gets to be really boring. I spend more time than I'd like to admit surfing the Nest/the Bump while working. Bad, bad, I know. Anyway, my contract is up on the 31st, and my supervisor still hasn't gotten back to me about whether or not they want to renew it. Hopefully I'll find out about that tomorrow, otherwise we're cutting it pretty close!

Other stuff that we've been up to lately includes: becoming the team leads for the 12:15 service welcome team at our church, watching 2 of our good life group friends get baptized, attending life group and related events, visiting our family, visiting the pumpkin patch, having our friends come and stay with us for a weekend, and getting new pro pictures made. Visit www.jamiecoupaud.blogspot.com for our preview!

The most exciting news of all? We decided to move TTC up, and are now on cycle 1.5 of trying for our first baby. I say cycle 1.5 because we decided last cycle to start trying, but we didn't make this decision until the day I ovulated, so we didn't really get a chance to take full advantage of the cycle. We thought and prayed and talked about this decision a lot, and we really feel that this is the plan God has for us. I know that my calling in life is to be a mother, and I think it's possible that a lot of the reason I wasn't able to find a full-time job is because I'm not meant to be working. I feel called to be a stay-at-home mom, and if we're to get pregnant soon, I would feel awful leaving a relatively new full-time job so shortly. Anyway, we're so excited about this new journey!! We weren't going to tell anyone, but Jamie (from jamiecoupaud.blogspot.com) saw my charting ticker on the Nest and asked me about it, so I told her. I also told one other friend from college, because I didn't want her to think I was a nutcase when we went to Ikea and all I could do was comment on all the cute baby stuff. And finally, I had to tell my mom when we went to visit our parents a few weekends ago. She was seriously contemplating moving to Cleveland for work, and she asked if we were trying, because she knew I would want her closer than Cleveland if I were to be pregnant. I told her that we were trying, and she has now decided to stay in TX. I'm so glad she did, but I'm pretty sure our TTC was just the icing on the cake.

So, there's a short update of our lives lately. Things are good, and it's almost the holidays, so they're about to get even better!